Chapter 10: the little book; the value
of the Word of God
Chapter eleven focuses on the two witnesses, the two prophets that come
son the scene, and their ministry to the remnant of
Last time we looked at the opening of the little book in chapter ten and
we saw that as the angel brings this, this is indeed part of the answer to a
prayer from martyred believers recorded in Revelation 6:10, 11 NASB
“ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and
true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell
on the earth?’ And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were
told that they should rest for a little while longer, until {the number of}
their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had
been, would be completed also.” That is the prayer of the martyrs who are
martyred in the fifth seal judgment and they are calling upon God to execute
judgment on the earth. The answer was, not yet. God had a plan to be completed.
What we see in chapters 10-14 is God finally coming to that point, the
answering of that particular prayer. In the structure of chapter ten the first
seven verses deal with the announcement from the mighty angel of the completion
of God’s plan to establish His kingdom… “the mystery of God is finished, as He
preached to His servants the prophets.”
The second part of chapter ten deals with a second commission to the
apostle John. The first commission came at the end of chapter one, v. 19 NASB
“Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and
the things which will take place after these things.” There is a reiteration of
the commission in chapter 10, beginning in v. 8 NASB “Then the voice
which I heard from heaven, {I heard} again speaking with me, and saying, ‘Go,
take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and
on the land.’ [9] So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little
book. And he said to me, ‘Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter,
but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey’.” This little book is a book that
contains information, reference to other judgments that had not yet been
revealed, and the angel is going to give this to John. What happens next shows
the process of revelation depicted in a somewhat symbolic way. This kind of
command to take and eat the book or scroll is not unique to this process with
John. A similar thing occurred in Jeremiah 15:16 NASB “Your words
were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight
of my heart…” Also in Ezekiel there is similar imagery. What is being pictured
here is the internalisation of the Word of God by the prophet. He is
internalising the message; he is taking in the Word of God. It is imagery that
is similar to that used by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 6 where He talks about
the bread of life. John 6:51 NASB “I am the living bread that came
down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the
bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” He is
picturing the internalisation and reception/acceptance of truth.
The eating and the drinking also depict faith. As we eat and drink
anything that enters into our body and becomes one with us. So it pictures the
acceptance and the reception of something into our being, and that is another
way of looking at belief in Jesus, trusting Him as our saviour.
In the passages related to the message given the prophet, the prophet is
accepting the judgment of God. It shows his submission to God in his role as a
prophet and that the judgments that he is announcing are not coming out of his
own opinion, his own mentality; they are not his desires and he is not on his
own mission to somehow execute justice or righteousness or on his own mission
of vengeance. It is simply a demonstration that the message has its origin in
God, the prophet has internalised it, and the message of the prophet is that
which was given to him by means of God the Holy Spirit; it is divine in its
origin and it is therefore without error. It is also a validation of the
prophet as being a genuine spokesman for God. The same thing we have here in
Revelation chapter ten. Revelation
Psalm 19 pictures the value of God’s Word. The first part of the psalm,
vv. 1-6, talks about the general [non-verbal; His creation] revelation of God.
Beginning in verse 7 and down through verse 14 there is a praise to the written
Word of God, God’s revealed truth that has been written down by the prophets
and apostles later on. As we read this we see through the imagery that is here
the value that God places on His Word.
Psalm 19:7 NASB “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the
soul…” The word “perfect” is the idea that it is complete and sufficient; it is
able to do that which is necessary considering the problem that man has. “… The
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” It is not a matter of IQ, of
education; it is simply a matter of studying God’s Word.
Psalm 19:8 NASB “The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the
heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” The heart rejoices
because the Word is right. The mandates of the Mosaic Law are pure, there is no
error there, and thus it can enlighten the eyes, it is the source if
enlightenment for us for truth. [9] The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.”
What is his conclusion? Psalm
As John assimilates and understands the judgments that is going to be brought
against the earth dwellers, that God is going to bring to completion the
judgments against Satan and evil, this is something that is sweet to him
because finally there will be justice. But then as he contemplates the severity
of that judgment, the vast amount of human life that will be lost and the
horror that comes, it turns bitter in his stomach. That is the significance of
that metaphor. It is not that it is not right, but he realises that the
judgment of God is not something that believers or God will rejoice over. God
rejoices over the salvation of each individual, it is His desire that all be
saved though not all will be saved.
Then the last part of the commission. Revelation
Then immediately the angel gives him something—forgetting the chapter
division between 10 and 11. Revelation 11:1 NASB “Then there was
given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Get up and measure
the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it’.” This gets into
a new and important subject.